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FYI
04-25-04

KART PARTS NORTH AMERICA RELOCATES TO ACCOMMODATE GROWTH OF BUSINESS

Denver, Colorado — Kart Parts North America, launched in December 2003, has experienced a successful first quarter of 2004. The company, along with its sister company, WorldKarts North America, is relocating to accommodate its growth. The operations will relocate to Houston, Texas where a building has been purchased for the expansion. Jennifer Lukas, Managing Director, comments, "We needed a larger operational space to accommodate the inventory. We had a great opportunity to relocate port side which will suit our operational needs and better serve our clients, it was win-win"

The Denver, Colorado offices will be closing Thursday April 29th. Operations will be back up in Houston, Texas Tuesday, May 4th. Kart Parts will have an extensive inventory including side pods, track rods, tires, rims, seats, bearings, steering wheels, etc.

As of May 4, 2004 Kart Parts North America can be contacted through the following information: Kart Parts North America 5868 A-1 Westheimer, Dept 360, Houston, TX 77067-5641 / 888-KARTPARTS (toll free) / 713-278-2882 (Direct) / 832-202-2883 (Fax) / usainfo@kartparts.com, web www.kartparts.com.

CHICAGO INDOOR RACING COMMITTED TO RACER’S CHALLENGE
Buffalo Grove, Illinois — Chicago Indoor Racing’s Team Endurance Races provide the ultimate challenge to committed racers. A blend of teamwork, consistency and outright speed is essential if you want to compete for overall honors. All Team Endurance Races are held on Track 3, the combination of Tracks 1 and 2, and now feature 20 minutes of Timed Practice and 200 Laps of racing with five mandatory pit stops and a re-fuelling stop. Entries are available for rounds on April 25th, May 23rd and June 27th.

CIR Spring Leagues
Due to the overwhelming response to Track Three and the success of the League Finals we have altered the format of the upcoming Spring Leagues. Drivers that have taken part in a League at CIR or those that have raced in any of our Endurance Races will be eligible to enter League 3 which will comprise five rounds of racing on Track Three. Each evening will be made up of three heat races per driver and each race will last 18 laps. League 3 will start on Monday May 3rd at 7:30pm.

CIR will continue to run single track leagues (1 and 2) featuring rounds on both Tracks 1 and 2 and run over five rounds. Each round will comprise three heat races per driver and races will last 25 laps on Track 1 and 30 laps on Track 2. Leagues 1 and 2 will start on April 26th at 6:30pm and 8:30pm respectively. All three leagues will feature weight classes and we will be continuing the successful practice of testing and matching karts.

For further information contact Jim Hanes at (847) 941 9441 or email him at jhanes@chicagoindoorracing.com. For more information tune to www.chicagoindoorracing.com. Chicago Indoor Racing can be found at 301 Hastings Drive,
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089,

‘AMUSEMENT BUSINESS’ EXPANDS VIA DAILY GLOBAL NEWS COVERAGE, E-MAIL SERVICE AND IN-DEPTH EDITORIAL FEATURES
Los Angeles, California — VNU Business Media announced plans to expand content and resources in ‘Amusement Business’ (AB) to build out the brand as the pre-eminent new and information source for the amusement industry and the broader out-of-home entertainment market. The company also announced that ‘Amusement Business’ would be fully integrated into VNU Business Media’s Film & Performing Arts Group, which includes leading publications such as ‘The Hollywood Reporter’, ‘Back Stage’, ‘Back Stage West’ and ‘Shoot’.

Online news will be expanded on www.amusementbusiness.com and enhanced e-mail newsletter in order to keep readers informed 24/7 on the events and trends that are driving opportunity and change in their industry. ‘Amusement Business’s’ print version will also be enlarged, adding in-depth features that provide insight and analysis and put the news into context. While bolstering its traditional coverage of the theme park, carnival and fair markets, AB now will be widening coverage into allied sectors, including touring, facility management, sports and theatrical exhibition. As a result of this broader coverage, circulation will be increased by more that 30%.

“The amusement industry is a vital, growing industry that is now connected to the global out-of-home entertainment industry,” said Robert Dowling, president of VNU Business Media’s Film & Performing Arts Group. “We see tremendous growth and opportunity in this market and are excited about the role ‘Amusement Business’ can play in helping executives and managers in the industry manage their businesses. By joining our Film and Performing Arts Group, ‘Amusement Business’ is now connected to the largest entertainment newsgathering organization in the world.”

‘Amusement Business’ also announced the promotion of James Zoltak to editor, reporting to Howard Burns, Film & Performing Arts Group vice president and group editorial director. In addition, Scott Partridge has been promoted to advertising director of ‘Amusement Business’, reporting to Marc Sternberg, Film & Performing Arts Group vice president and group advertising director.

“You will see broader, deeper coverage in ‘Amusement Business’ that will give executives and managers in the industry the insights and analysis they need on a daily basis,” Zoltak said. “Our goal is to be the leading sources for news, information and knowledge for the out-of-home entertainment industry.”

For more info, call 615-321-4225 or kwright@amusementbusiness.com.

“STARS OF KARTING’S” RAHAL TO BE INDUCTED INTO HALL OF FAME
Talladega, Alabama — As a child, Bobby Rahal dreamed of racing cars on the same tracks as his heroes Dan Gurney and Graham Hill. He never thought he would become a racing hero.

On April 22, Rahal, the 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner, reached another racing dream when he became the newest member of the prestigious International Motorsports Hall of Fame.

In a special presentation in Talladega, Ala., Rahal was inducted along with "Red" Farmer, Bill France Jr., Shirley Muldowney and Bill Muncey. Rahal retired from competitive driving in 1998 but still owns three racing teams as well as the ‘Stars of Karting’ program.

"I think about when I entered racing back in 1971 and I just wanted to win some races," said Rahal, who along with David Letterman fields three cars in the IRL IndyCar Series. "I never thought I'd win a championship, let alone three Indy car titles, or win the Indianapolis 500. It was quite a ride. The Hall of Fame induction is the icing on the cake for me."

In addition to his three open-wheel titles (1986, 1987, 1992), Rahal was the first open-wheel driver to win $1 million in a season (1986). He won 24 Indy-style races and 18 pole positions in his 17-year run. He was voted "Driver of the Year" twice (1986, 1992) by the media.

"I had no regrets about leaving the cockpit," Rahal said. "I feel that my influence and participation in motor racing is going beyond that of just being a driver. I love the sport and I want to help in any way I can. I don't know what my legacy is. All I can say is I tried to be a gentleman. I tried to race cleanly and participate in a first class manner. The legacy is for others to determine."

‘S T A R S’ N E W S

SCIUTO TAKES ICC WIN AFTER SPEED SUCCUMBS TO MECHANICAL FAILURE, AND CARMODY SCORES DEBUT WIN IN ICA.
Hilliard, Ohio — Sunday went much better for the racers and crew of the Snap-On Stars of Karting. The race program was delayed a bit by a couple red flags, but over all it went much smoother than Saturday. Racing wasn't hindered at all by any rain and a light breeze kept things cool all day. After the rain episode on Saturday a few racers packed up early, but the total was around the one -forty mark. It was a good recovery day, following two less than perfect ones.

Fifty-four Kosmic Racing Team ICC drivers were split into two qualifying flights, each getting a fifteen-minute session on the track. The Bridgestone tires quickly built up heat, and most of the fast times were set within the first two laps. Alex Speed set a pace in the first flight that was unmatched in either session. His time of 101.911 earned him the pole for the heat race. Wesley Boswell, the only other driver to crack the 1.02 mark in qualifying was off pole with a time of 1.01.938.

Off the groove the track still suffered a bit from Saturday's rain, so Speed and his mechanic, Shayne Shipley opted to start the heat race from the outside instead of the traditional inside pole position. This proved to be a worthy strategy for Speed who got an excellent start, while Boswell struggled for traction. Things were crazy the first few laps as fast guys got in trouble, or just got slower. When things slowed down, Speed was in control, and took the heat race win over Alan Sciuto and Ron White. Speed, again with the great start led the field going into turn two. Sciuto sat in second followed by Ron White, Eddie Caballero, Johnny Zartarian, and Alan Rudolph. After five laps Speed was destine for victory, and White had passed Sciuto for second place on the track. White remained in second, using every inch of track and every ounce of skill to hold off Sciuto. Seven laps from the finish and Ron White was the leader of the Kosmic Racing Team ICC final.

Speed had a keyway breakage in the rear of the kart, ending his run to victory. Turned out he felt it go on lap six, but still maintained the lead for another half dozen laps before total failure caused his departure from the race. Sciuto's efforts increased, as the fight was no longer for second, but for the glory of the win. Sciuto slipped by in turn one, and White could do nothing but watch. Caballero was just hanging on to the rear bumper of White now, but not close enough to make his move. Rudolph had a great race, picking up six positions from where he started. He eventually finished in 4th. Michael Abbate started the final in 5th and after twenty up and down laps for him he finished back where he started.

Sciuto took home a huge win for his new team; White and Caballero joined him on the podium in 2nd and 3rd. "I knew I could get close enough," said Sciuto. "I just had to stay in the draft to get a ride. Our motors are pretty close, so I knew that pass too would be close. I just tried to stay right with him the entire race, and waited for my opportunity. I want to thank Birel, TM, Sweedetech, my dad, Kimball Williams, 3-S Go Karting, Enzo, Enzo Jr., and JM Racing."

A familiar face topped the charts of ICA qualifying, Jordy Vorrath, in the 96c Italkart qualified on the ICA pole with a time of 103.622. Off pole went to a local driver Chris Hatfield, making his Stars ICA debut with a time of 103.902. Chris Carmody, Johnny Amba and last year's ICA west champion Kevin Glover completed the top five. Hatfield surprised everyone on the start of the heat race to jump out into the lead. Catching everyone sleeping earned Hatfield the right to lead the first handful of laps. Eventually Vorrath moved forward to take the point, but he too lost it when he went wide on the exit of turn one. Glover was quick to lump on the opportunity given to him by his Canadian rival. Hatfield drifted back to finish in sixth, but we would soon hear from him again. The green flag flew signaling the start of the final. Glover took the lead heading into turn one followed by Hatfield with another amazing start. Vorrath ran in third, for the first half of the first lap, passing Hatfield into "Montreal." It seemed like the right thing to do, but Vorrath paid the price before two laps could be completed. With a rare mechanical problem (hi carb falling off) Glover bogged coming off of turn seven and was clipped from behind from Vorrath, who had no place to go. Hatfield was again out front, followed by Tyler Dueck, Helmuth Sanden, and Carmody.

Hatfield had this one in the bag with a fifty-kart length lead over the battle for second. Carmody had made his way up into second, after a nice pass going into the corkscrew on Sanden. Hatfield straight up ran out of luck. The red flag came out for an accident involving Lorenzo Mandarino and Clark Sanchez-Figueras back in turn twelve. It was ugly, as Clark disappeared over the bales and into the fence upside down. Corner workers were looking the other way and it took Mandarino to pull the kart off of Clark. The field was once again bunched up, and Hatfield was a sitting duck. Sanden's day ended just a few laps from the finish as he dropped out of a great run in third place. With one lap remaining, Carmody made the pass in turn one for his first ICA win.

Hatfield was unable to mount a counter attack, and had to settle for second behind Carmody. Colby Jenn worked his way up around Dueck to take the final podium position. Jenn and Dueck finished together, but a few seconds behind them was Fritz Leesmann, who drove to an impressive 5th place finish, after starting in the back. "My race was gong well at the beginning, but I started to slow down a little. I was lucky to see the red flag, my kart got really good towards the end, and I was able to make a pass on the last lap," said Carmody. "I want to thank SSC Racing, Pitts Performance, DJ Silva, and my mom and dad."

Cole Whitt posts double wins in 80 Junior and JICA, while Pollock scores maiden Easykart win.

PC Motorsports 80cc Junior was the first class to take to the track for their qualifying session. It took a few laps for the drivers to get heat in their Bridgestone tires, but once they did, the times started to drop. Cole Whitt in the #29a threw down a blistering lap of 104.900, good enough to take the first pole of the day. Neil McCoy ran a 105.070 to join Whitt on the front row. Whitt went on to dominate the ten lap heat race, winning by nearly eight seconds over the 4th place qualifier Race Johnson, and 3rd place qualifier Ryan Phinny. Johnson and Phinny made obvious improvements to their rides before the start of the final, and the fact that they still clung to Whitts's rear bumper several laps into the race was proof. Whitt again dictated the race, leading all of the sixteen laps, while Johnson and Phinny fought it out for second and third. Whitt never had a serious attempt made at his lead, but Phinny's fast lap of the race equaled that of Whitt. This time only three seconds separated the winner Whitt, and 2nd place Johnson as they crossed the finish line. Phinny finished in third only a tenth behind 2nd. Christian Stover drove his butt of to bring home a 4th place finish. Stover started the final from the back row to salvage a very nice 4th. McCoy recovered from his heat race ailments to round out the top five.

Miles Maroney smoked the field of 20 in the Grand Products Cadet qualifying with his time of 1.14.216. Gustavo Menezes qualified in second place, but was a half second off Maroney's qualifying pace. Moran Raceway prides itself on being a premier shifter facility, but the truth is the racing in the Comer class here is always better than the best shifter race. Six drivers were in a position to win the heat race, all finishing within seven tenths of each other. Maroney stayed on top after eight grueling laps of racing. Menezes took an early lead in the final after he and Taylor Miinch passed Maroney for the lead in turn one. Things continued just like that for twelve laps, Menezes leading the way with Miinch, Maroney, and the runner-up in the heat race, Cameron Jocelyn. Jocelyn lost the draft, leaving three drivers to combat for the best finishing position. Once out of the draft, it didn't take Brendan "mini" Phinny too long to catch and pass Jocelyn for 4th. As the white flag flew it was still Menezes out front. Miinch and Maroney were unable to make a move for the win, and the last lap ended with Menezes victorious. Miinch finished in second and a visibly disappointed Maroney came away in third. Phinny held on to 4th and Jocelyn finished in 5th. Though the lead didn't change after the first couple of laps the battle for 6th-12 raged the entire race, with positions changing hands nearly every lap.

Cole Whitt took his second pole of the day in the Kart Racing Technologies / Boyer construction JICA class. Whitt was the only driver to dip below the 1.07 mark in qualifying with his time of 1.06.959. A lot of these drivers were making their JICA debut, including the pole sitter Whitt, and off pole Mackenzie Johnson. Mackenzie got a great start for the heat race and led by a nose as they entered turn one. Unfortunately he went a bit too deep, driving off track and falling back to twelfth. Whitt checked out leaving second place James Kennedy to run alone. Johnson recovered to finish the heat race in third. As the field of twenty JICA drivers entered turn two Whitt had the point followed by Johnson, Kennedy, and Ryan Phinny. As Kennedy began to pressure Johnson for second place, Whitt started to creep away. Kennedy made the pass for second place in turn one, soon after Whitt was gone too. Kennedy pulled away from the battle for third between Johnson, Nick Johnston, Dominic Scheer, and Phinny. Phinny's day was done on lap thirteen, and Jacob Neal passed Scheer for fifth on the track. Johnston too moved up a position is the late stages of the final, putting the moves on Johnson to take over third. Whitt took his second win of the day with the trio of competitors finishing eight seconds behind. Kennedy's solid performance earned him second place over Nick Johnston, and Mackenzie Johnson. Neal finished in fifth just a few ticks of the battle for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.

Sixteen of the eighteen Easykart 125 drivers took to the track for their ten minute qualifying session. Carlos Duenas set the pace on his very first trip past start/finish, but his provisional pole didn't last long as Dennis Howell, and Cory Pollock blasted to the top of the sheet. Howell took the lead on the start of the heat race, but his teammate Pollock wasted no time going to the front. Howell dogged Pollock for most of the heat, and eventually finished 5 seconds back of the winner, Pollock. The final was more of the same, this time Pollock led from the beginning, and Howell gave chase. Sean Nielson made a great pass on Duenas in the heat race to secure third, and he maintained that pace throughout the final too. Neilson and Duenas battled in the early laps, but Neilson was a tad quicker and finished solidly in third place. Pollock's lead continued to grow again, and all Howell could do was ride the three second lead he had on Neilson. The race ended prematurely when the #21 kart driven by Tomas Duenas brought out the red flag for his wild ride. Pollock, a junior driver by IKF standard scored the big win with Howell coming away a disappointed second. Neilson finished his day with his first champagne podium in third.

STARS: UPDATE TO SATURDAY'S RESULTS
Hilliard, Ohio — After an exceptional Sunday program in their season opener at Moran Raceway in Beaumont, California, the Snap-on Stars of Karting team immediately has gone back to work on addressing the results from Saturday, and its decision to allow qualifying as an acceptable level of competition in order to award points.

After all qualifying sessions had taken place in excellent conditions that were fair to all competitors, a torrential rainstorm overtook the track, which ultimately affected the remaining days events. Conditions became troublesome in a very short period of time and the Stars Team announced they were stopping the program for the day due to safety. "It wasn't the rain that concerned us, we can race in the rain" Race Director, Kevin Williams commented. "There are necessary elements to operate a safe event, both on and off the track, and these elements were jeopardized due to the amount of rain we received, in this very short period of time."

After exercising Force Majeure of the Classification Article of the CIK / FIA regulations, the decision was made to classify the drivers by qualifications, awarding points to those positions in each class that qualified in the top fifteen. "Our Stars rulebook specifically states that we can refer to the CIK / FIA Regulations for items not covered in our printed rulebook" Williams said. "The Stars Rulebook does not address stopping an event after qualifications. It does address that if a main event is not a minimum of at least two laps, then we cannot issue points. We had not made it to the main event, allowing us to use this as criteria. As our rulebook is printed, we do not have a provision for an event that only made it through qualifications. As a result, we exercised our discretion to refer to CIK's rules and regulations and a provision of Force Majeure was identified and implemented."

Immediately following the announcement, the results were protested, and the protest procedure was put in place. According to the Stars Regulations, a three-person panel is selected to officially resolve an issue of protest. This panel must be impartial to the situation. It is virtually impossible to find impartial people at the event itself. This, along with the need to operate Sunday's events prevented the Stars organization to issue a ruling by the time everyone left on Sunday. The panel to hear the appeal is being assembled immediately, and a decision will be announced directly upon hearing of their opinions. In accordance with the Stars Regulations, this majority decision, or opinion, is final and cannot be appealed.

"It is unfortunate that we could not continue our program for Saturday, but race or not, safety is always number one." concluded Williams, "We owe it to our competitors and their families to promote a safe event, and we will always do so." Kevin added, "I don't think people were in question of our decision to make this difficult call, but only how points were awarded."

APPEAL PROCESS IN FAVOR OF STARS ORIGINAL DECISION ON SATURDAY
Hilliard, Ohio — The Snap-on Stars of Karting announced today the final outcome of the appeal process that was put into place after last Saturday's protest of its decision to call the event due to force majeure and use qualifying as the only means to award event finishing positions, points and rewards.

Stars decision to call the event was based on some major issues with water flow across the track even after sand bags were put in place, safety and emergency personnel and their ability to get to a potentially injured racer, corner workers and their lack of mobility, as well as other factors. Whether the race should or should not have been called is not the question as it relates to this appeal. Was it an official race and could points be awarded is what was in question.

The criteria Stars Officials used to make its decision was the same information that was provided to the appeal panel participants and follows:

Stars Race Director Kevin Williams's states; "After several elements to operate a safe event were jeopardized due to heavy rain fall, I made the decision to discontinue the days program. Qualifications for all classes and ICC's LCQ race were completed and classifications had been posted. As the Stars rulebook does not provide for an event day being discontinued after qualifying, the CIK rulebook was used for direction. The CIK rulebook does allow for points to be awarded after qualifying if an event cannot be run, and this was the action taken." Kevin continued, "In the very beginning of the Stars rulebook, if a situation comes up in an event that is not covered in the Stars rulebook, the CIK-FIA regulations will prevail, with the exception of arbitration. I read rule 2.25 in our Stars rulebook and my opinion is that the spirit and intent of rule 2.25 relates to the formation of the main event on the grid and the actual start of that main event. We never got that far into the program to have this rule apply. This is why I looked further to see if there was anything specific to our situation. There wasn't and the CIK book was used. The CIK-FIA rules state specifically: If races of one and the same event are cancelled for reasons of force majeure (Literally translated as "great force," relates to unforeseen events restricting participants from fulfilling obligations) and if qualifying could be held in normal conditions, the full points will be awarded on the basis of the classification of this qualification." This was Kevin's justification for his decision made.

A competitor wrote a protest to Kevin's decision specifically stating: Rule 2.25: If less than 2 laps are completed in the final, no points will be awarded. Due to weather conditions 2 laps were not completed so therefore under the Stars rules, no points should be awarded for Saturday's results.

In any protest at any of our events by a driver and against anyone, including us as an organization, there is a process we must go through to resolve the issue. Basically, find three impartial judges and give them the information, have them form their own opinion and make a decision about action taken and whether it was justified and let the majority prevail. It is impossible to find impartial participants at the event itself as anyone that is there is going to have influence one side or the other. This is why we had to wait till Monday to seek our panel. Kevin Williams statement above and the original protest were provided to the appeal participants along with the specific Stars rules cited and used and the CIK rule cited and used:

After reviewing this information, the first two appeal judges came back with their decision that Stars acted appropriately and had the right to make the call as they did. They pointed out that had the main event started that this would not be the case. The fact that the first two came back in favor of Stars decision made the third appeal judges opinion moot.

Points will be awarded, cash prizes and trophies will be sent to competitors immediately.

END

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